70 Percent of Pre-K Contracts Haven’t Been Vetted

August 27, 2014Geoff Decker ChalkBeat NY

The city is dragging its feet sending hundreds of pre-kindergarten contracts for an independent vetting, potentially putting the city’s successful pre-K rollout at risk, Comptroller Scott Stringer said on Wednesday.

Stringer, whose office must review all city contracts, raised the red flag just eight days before the start of school. He said Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office has sent him just 141 of more than 500 pre-K contracts, which went to vendors that still need to be vetted for fraud, corruption, and safety issues.